"I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"
Yin Wuxiao covered his lips and chuckled softly.
Some people are just able to live a simple and happy life.
She can't just be envious; the more she envies, the more painful it becomes.
She stood up: "You two continue chatting, I'm going out for a walk."
"You're not feeling well, don't go out and wander around." Bai Can pulled her back.
With this pull, something fell out of her sleeve.
Yin Wuxiao's expression changed drastically.
Chapter Eight: A Year's Day Today, West of the Apricot Wall (Part Four)
On July 14th, Baili Qingyi led Baili Hanyi and the guards of Baili Mansion to Yuwen Mansion in Hubei.
Baili Qingyi originally had no intention of interfering in the entanglement between the Yuwen family and Shi Mansi. Although the Black Jade Goddess acted arrogantly, she had not done anything heinous. Her threat to cause trouble at the Yuwen mansion was mostly because she couldn't stand the domineering and stubbornness of the old lady Yuwen and wanted to tease her.
However, ever since receiving news of the Qiong Sect's southward advance, not only the two Yuwen sisters but also Baili Qingyi were extremely worried. Besides the Qiao Gang, the Yuwen family was the Qiong Sect's only enemy in the Central Plains.
The reason why the Yuwen family has so few male descendants is that more than 20 years ago, the men of the Yuwen sisters' fathers' generation were poisoned by Qiong with the deadly poison "Tanwei Seven Nights Song".
This "Seven Nights of Ephemeral Melody" wasn't immediately fatal, but it prevented men from living past thirty, forcing them to spend their remaining days singing and dancing every night. They could only rest at dawn, and the effects would kick in again at dusk. The men of the Yuwen family, including the father of the Yuwen sisters, died intermittently over several years.
Currently, there is only one male in the Yuwen family of the same generation as the Yuwen sisters, named Yuwen Xuelan. He is the Yuwen sisters' cousin, only twelve years old, and physically weak. The reason is mostly due to the lingering poison from their fathers that has been passed down to him.
Over the years, Madam Yuwen had longed to avenge her deep-seated hatred against the Qiong Sect, but unfortunately, only Yuwen Hongying was left to learn martial arts. She had also promised Baili Qingyi's father, Baili Chan, that she would never seek revenge in the northern desert. Thus, the Yuwen family had no way to take revenge, and their resentment only deepened.
Now, the Qiong Sect has swept south in full force, heading all the way to Hubei. Their enemy has already come knocking, and given Old Madam Yuwen's personality, she will likely not give up until they are both dead. However, the Yuwen family wants revenge, but lacks the strength to do so.
Therefore, after receiving news of the Qiong Sect's southward advance, the Yuwen sisters immediately decided to rush back to Hubei without even consulting Baili Qingyi. Baili Qingyi was unable to stop them and had no choice but to follow them south.
"Old Madam Yuwen really wishes she could marry both of her granddaughters to you so you could avenge her irreconcilable feud," Baili Hanyi said.
Baili Qingyi smiled faintly: "If you like any of them, I will personally go to their home to ask for their hand in marriage. I'm sure Old Madam Yuwen will be very happy to do so."
Baili Hanyi hurriedly waved his hand: "You're trying to kill me. The Yuwen family is really not to be trifled with. To marry one of their daughters is to risk your life. Only Brother Qiyun would dare to defy the world."
Seeing his fear, Baili Qingyi chuckled and shook his head. He never spoke ill of others; even if he had negative opinions, he would simply keep quiet about them.
"Speaking of which, isn't Brother Qiyun deeply in love with Miss Yuwen? Why didn't he come south with us? When his beloved is in trouble, he should be the first one to get restless. He has always been eager to serve the Yuwen family like a slave."
Baili Qingyi cast her gaze into the deep twilight in the distance: "He naturally has his own plans."
Baili Hanyi stared at Baili Qingyi for a while, then lowered his head and smiled: "Brother, sometimes I think I can see you clearly, but other times I realize that your thoughts are still so far removed from ours. I really don't know when someone will be able to see what you're thinking."
Baili Qingyi was taken aback: "I was naturally thinking about how to resolve the feud between the Yuwen family and the Qiong Sect."
Baili Hanyi waved her hand: "I believe you must have a solution."
"You trust me that much?" Baili Qingyi smiled bitterly.
“It’s not that I trust you, but that in the past ten years, you have never let Dad and my brothers down, and you will never let the world down.”
Baili Qingyi remained silent.
Has he truly never let anyone down in his entire life?
But why did he feel so disappointed whenever he thought of that person? On that night, when she walked out of the tavern, when she was taken away from him at dusk, he felt like a very useless person.
They were riding slowly along the post road when suddenly a rapid sound of hooves approached from the front. In just a few breaths, a figure galloping on horseback appeared in the distance. As the figure drew closer, it was revealed to be a familiar bright red.
"Red Tassel Girl!" Baili Hanyi exclaimed in surprise.
With a cry of surprise, Baili Qingyi leaped from his horse, his brown boots lightly touching the horse's head, and sped towards Yuwen Hongying. In an instant, his wide robe sleeves caught the swaying Yuwen Hongying on the opposite horse, protecting her and bringing her back to the ground.
Yuwen Hongying gritted her teeth, breathing heavily, her stunningly beautiful face contorted in pain. She gripped Baili Qingyi's sleeve tightly, refusing to let go, her large, panicked eyes fixed on him as she cried out, "Brother Qingyi, save her! Save her!"
Baili Qingyi looked in the direction Yuwen Hongying had come from, his expression immediately becoming wary. He spread his arms to shield Yuwen Hongying behind him and asked, "Who have you encountered?"
Yuwen Hongying kept swallowing, still looking back in alarm, but when she met Baili Qingyi's firm and steady eyes, her emotions gradually calmed down.
"Could it be that we ran into people from the Qiong Sect?" Baili Qingyi boldly guessed.
Yuwen Hongying stared at him in surprise and nodded frantically.
Baili Hanyi quickly stepped forward to take over, escorting Yuwen Hongying to the side to rest. More than ten guards from the Baili Manor gripped their sword hilts, ready for battle.
"Miss Cuiyu has probably fallen into the hands of the Qiong Sect." Baili Hanyi patted Yuwen Hongying's back with concern.
Baili Qingyi nodded, his brows furrowed. He slowly walked to the middle of the road, stood with his hands behind his back, facing the wind, as if waiting for something. His blue robes fluttered lightly at the hem of his boots, his upright figure appearing relaxed and casual, yet Baili Hanyi could see the vigilance emanating from him from within.
This group of battle-hardened guards from Baili Prefecture understood the current situation of facing a formidable enemy without needing to say much, and Baili Qingyi's actions were enough to give them confidence.
Baili Qingyi stood still, listening quietly.
A moment later, more than ten riders arrived at breakneck speed. The fierce horses of the frontier were brave and strong, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust on the post road.
A series of rapid neighing sounds came as the dozen or so fast horses stopped just three zhang away from Baili Qingyi. Seated atop the lead black horse was a middle-aged woman in purple, tall and slender, with striking features far more defined than those of people from the Central Plains.
Baili Qingyi looked up at her and gently cupped her hands in greeting.
The middle-aged woman was taken aback.
Her eyebrows were long and thick, and she had extremely sharp eyes that seemed to see through a person's chest, discern the shape of their heart, and leave a dagger-like mark on the wall behind them. Her eyes held a ruthlessness that Baili Qingyi had never seen before.
"The young master in blue from Baili Prefecture?" she asked with a slight surprise, her voice thick with a northern accent.
Baili Qingyi nodded.
The middle-aged woman proudly raised her chin, braced herself against the horse's back with one hand, and leaped off. Dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her curves, her leap was elegant and beautiful, further demonstrating her superb martial arts skills.
Baili Qingyi's eyes darkened, realizing that the other party's strength was no less than her own. Mu Wanfeng had been the successor to the Qiong Sect leader more than twenty years ago, and his current martial arts skills were definitely among the top three in the world.
"Master Mu, this junior is Baili Qingyi. Greetings." He was neither humble nor arrogant.
Mu Wanfeng snorted: "Your father, Baili Chan, was just as pretentious back then. You're just like your father."
Baili Qingyi remained expressionless: "My father passed away many years ago."
"What?" Mu Wanfeng exclaimed. "Baili Chan is dead?" She lowered her head and murmured, "I didn't even know. A man like him actually died before me."
"After my mother passed away, my father didn't have much attachment to life."
Mu Wanfeng chuckled, "Your mother is just a country girl, it's rare that your father is so devoted to her. He doesn't even care about the carefree heroine Ruan Wuyou."
Baili Qingyi smiled calmly: "Master Mu, the carefree heroine has been gone for twenty years."
"How could this be!" Mu Wanfeng seemed to have suffered a great blow, taking two steps back and suddenly smiling bitterly, "In just over twenty years, all these old friends are already gone?"
"Please accept my condolences." Baili Qingyi looked coldly at Mu Wanfeng, whose expression was full of sorrow. Her grief and confusion did not seem fake. Could it be that the leader of the Qiong Sect and Baili Chan and Wuyou Heroine of the Central Plains were friends twenty years ago? Thinking of Yuwen Cuiyu who had been kidnapped, he kept his questions to himself.
"Is the eldest daughter of the Yuwen family being held captive by your men?"
"Those two girls are the granddaughters of that old hag Yuwen? No wonder they dared to plot against me." Mu Wanfeng glared at Baili Qingyi. One of these young women had mediocre martial arts skills, and the other had no martial arts skills at all. Yet they dared to sneak into her room at night with the intention of assassinating her. How could she let them get away with it so easily?
“I know a little about the rules of your Baili family. The rule is that I will not offend others unless they offend me. These two girls dared to cause trouble in my Muwan family, so I naturally cannot let them off easily. For your father's sake, I advise you not to get involved in this matter.”
Baili Qingyi frowned. It must have been the Yuwen sisters who encountered the Qiong Sect members on their journey, their minds clouded by old and new grudges, leading them to recklessly launch a sneak attack. This was most likely Yuwen Hongying's idea. Otherwise, how could Mu Wanfeng, the dignified sect leader, stoop to the level of two young girls?
Yuwen Hongying was acting recklessly, but Yuwen Cuiyu didn't seem to be someone who didn't understand the difference in strength between friend and foe, so why did she also join in Yuwen Hongying's recklessness?
He sighed silently to himself. After all, the Yuwen family was one of the three great families, and these two girls came from his Baili family... Moreover, he still owed Yuwen Cuiyu an explanation for the wedding banquet at Chuxiu Manor.
This is really troublesome, but he can't just ignore it. Headache, headache.
"These two Miss Yuwen have offended you greatly, and I apologize on their behalf. However, they did not cause any harm to the sect leader, so please be lenient."
Before Mu Wanfeng could answer, Yuwen Hongying shouted angrily from behind, "Brother Qingyi, this woman is the murderer who killed my father and my uncles. My Yuwen family will never let her get away with this!"
Mu Wanfeng smiled and said, "Look, even if I'm willing to be lenient, the two of them might not accept my favor."
Baili Qingyi remained silent. Judging from Mu Wanfeng's attitude, she was determined not to release him easily.
It would be unwise to clash with the Qiong Sect here, but leaving Yuwen Cuiyu in their hands would likely lead to unforeseen consequences.
It seems we have no choice but to take action.
"In that case, Master Mu, please don't blame this junior for being impolite."
Mu Wanfeng asked in surprise, "You want to fight me?"
Baili Qingyi stepped back and gestured for him to proceed.
Mu Wanfeng's eyes flashed with admiration: "Your junior is quite courageous, worthy of being Baili Chan's son. How about this, if you are willing to take one of my palms, I will release that girl surnamed Yuwen, how about it?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Baili Qingyi lowered her eyes: "That's very good."
Yuwen Hongying screamed, "Brother Qingyi, don't fall for this woman's tricks!"
Who is Mu Wanfeng? Let alone a single palm strike, even a fingertip could easily take a life! If these two fought fairly, Baili Qingyi might have a chance to win, but to take a palm strike first like this...
"No need for further words!" Baili Qingyi's voice turned stern as he addressed the crowd, "More than twenty years ago, my father and seniors reached an agreement to wipe the slate clean of the feud between the Qiong Sect and the Central Plains, and never again to discuss revenge. Now that the Yuwen family has taken the initiative, they must naturally bear the responsibility. I am willing to take the blame on behalf of the Yuwen family."
Mu Wanfeng stared intently at Baili Qingyi: "Very good. I never expected that the younger generation of the Central Plains would have someone like you."
Baili Qingyi raised an eyebrow: "Senior, please do it." His words carried a hint of fearlessness.
Mu Wanfeng smiled charmingly: "Then I won't be polite."
Everyone held their breath.
No one knows what the outcome will be after this strike.
A tear suddenly rolled down Yuwen Hongying's cheek. She could never understand Baili Qingyi's actions; he often seemed like a fool, yet also like an omnipotent god. Just like now, she felt once again that Baili Qingyi and she were worlds apart.
Chapter Eight: A Year's Day Today, West of the Apricot Wall (Part Five)
Everyone stared at the young man in blue, standing there woodenly.
Mu Wanfeng sighed and said, "Bring that Yuwen girl over."
A moment later, Yuwen Cuiyu, her face pale, was shoved off her horse by a member of the Qiong Sect. Yuwen Hongying staggered over, grabbed her, and burst into tears. She knew that if she hadn't encountered Baili Qingyi today, her sister's life would have been in danger. If that had happened, she would never forgive herself for her recklessness.
Mu Wanfeng's palm strike landed squarely on Baili Qingyi's body. That palm strike was no ordinary one; it was the infamous "Seventh Form of Soul Extinction" from the Qiong Sect's secret technique, Soul Extinction Kill.